Utah Judge Pushes Execution Despite Dementia, Ignoring Human Decency and Justice

The recent decision by a Utah judge to set an execution date for Ralph Leroy Menzies, a 67-year-old man suffering from advanced dementia, raises profound questions about justice and the rule of law in America. Menzies has been on death row for nearly four decades, yet now faces death by firing squad despite his deteriorating mental state.Judge Matthew Bates moved forward with setting the execution date for Sept. 5, after ruling that Menzies “consistently and rationally” understands his impending fate. This determination comes even as defense attorneys argue that Menzies’ cognitive decline is severe—he is wheelchair-bound, dependent on oxygen, and...